Method and process for configuring a premises for monitoring

ABSTRACT

A system and method for configuring an integrated information system through a common user interface are provided. A user accesses a graphical user interface and selects client, premises, location, monitoring device, and processing rule information. The graphical user interface transmits the user selection to a processing server, which configures one or more monitoring devices according to the user selections.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/967,485, filed Sep. 28, 2001, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/236,282, filed Sep. 28, 2000, entitledSYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPLEMENTING AN INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEM, andU.S. Provisional Application No. 60/281,256, filed Apr. 3, 2001,entitled METHOD AND PROCESS FOR CONFIGURING A PREMISES FOR MONITORING,which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

In general, the present invention relates to electronic hardware andcomputer software, and in particular, to a method and process forconfiguring a premises for the installation of monitoring devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generally described, electronic security systems are configured toprovide a wide range of security services in both residential andcommercial settings. The types of monitoring devices utilized by aparticular security system to perform the system service depend greatlyon the sophistication of the security system configuration and theoverall function of the security system. A majority of conventionalsecurity systems include intrusion detecting devices, such as door orwindow contacts, glass break detectors, motion detectors and the like.In a commercial setting, closed-circuit television (“CCTV”), badgingsystems, asset tracking, and access control devices and sensors are alsoutilized.

The configuration of the security system is based on the function thesystem will serve. For example, in one aspect, a typical electronicsecurity system may be used to provide smoke, fire, and/or carbonmonoxide detection. Accordingly, the system would utilize one or moresmoke, fire and/or carbon monoxide detectors within one or morelocations on the premises. In another aspect, the security system mayalso be utilized to provide motion or access detection as well asgeneral video and audio monitoring of the premises. Accordingly, thesystem would utilize ingress or egress sensors and/or video cameraswithin the premises.

While the conventional art generally discloses utilizing multiplemonitoring devices to perform various functions, conventional systemsare deficient in data management functionality and integration. Securitydata from different monitoring device types is generally not integratedto affect the system reporting and control. Instead, the conventionalsecurity system is built around independent stand-alone devices thatrequire human control and interpretation.

In one security configuration, contract or in-house security guard andpatrol services are employed in a range of industrial commercial, publicand private settings. The primary functions of the security guard mayinclude direct visual surveillance, the monitoring of security camerasor other security devices, a reception or access control andauthorization function, and incident response. A security guard may alsobe used to monitor a number of CCTV screens arranged in a bankformation. Accordingly, the security guard accepts the variety of inputsand makes a determination of a security alert, such as an unauthorizedentrance.

The use of dedicated monitoring services, such as security guards isgenerally prohibitively expensive and unavailable for a majority ofindividuals and businesses. Additionally, if the guard is distracted,absent or inattentive, a security event may go unreported. Furthermore,the monitoring device data, such as the CCTV data, is typicallyavailable only to the dedicated premises monitor and cannot be utilizedconcurrently by additional users, such as a remote monitor, a qualitycontrol supervisor, the owner of the premises, or emergency or publicsafety authorities. Moreover, a single security guard may not be capableof processing all of the possible monitoring data sourcessimultaneously, thereby reducing the effectiveness of multiplemonitoring devices.

Another security system configuration utilizes external monitors toprovide the security services. Generally described, external monitoringsystems are more cost effective than a dedicated on-premises monitor.However, most external monitoring systems have a limited effectivenessin being unable to extensively provide and/or review detailed securityinformation. For example, most conventional external monitoring systemscannot incur the expense of providing a sufficient amount ofcommunication bandwidth to transmit continuous video/audio feeds fromevery monitored premises. Accordingly, if the external monitoringservice detects an unauthorized entry into a premises, such as through asignal from a detecting device, the monitoring service typicallydispatches emergency or public safety authorities to investigate anddetermine the extent of the detected event. In a vast majority of cases,the alarm is false and the premises owner incurs a fine for having theauthorities verify the incident. Additionally, in the event of an actualemergency, the monitoring service cannot provide the public safetyauthorities with sufficient information to assess the situation withmonitoring devices, thereby putting the authorities at greater risk.

Similar to the dedicated on-premises monitoring, the remote monitoringservice also cannot concurrently process the device information tomultiple authorized users for various purposes. For example, a premisesowner may need to access video data to locate a pet within the premises,while emergency or public safety personnel would need to access the samevideo data to identify the location of a victim. In both cases, themonitoring service likely cannot provide the information to the user ona wide scale basis.

Some conventional security system configurations attempt to integrate atleast some security monitoring devices to better detect alarm conditionsfrom a remote user. For example, a security system monitor (eitherremote or on-premises) may detect an unauthorized entry from a motiondetector and confirm it by utilizing a video camera. Generally however,these systems are directed towards a combination of video surveillanceand are limited into being processed solely for the detection of anintrusion or the verification of an intrusion. These systems generallycannot accept additional non-security information inputs that relategenerally to the management of the premises and that are outside of thescope of conventional security monitoring. Moreover, these systems aredeficient in that the data cannot be processed concurrently ordistributed to multiple authorized users. Additionally, the monitoringdevices used for these functions are often produced by differentmanufacturers and employ manufacturer-specific communications protocols.The monitoring devices are typically not configured to be accessiblethrough a common access point for reporting and control. Accordingly,most of the monitoring devices are installed within a premises asindependent sub-systems of a security system. The configuration of eachof these systems, and often of each of the devices within a systemrequires a separate configuration and installation process.

In addition to the lack of integration, the sub-systems generally haveminimal operability as such, and any updates or modifications to thesystem typically require the removal and replacement of a wiring panelconnected to the monitoring device. Accordingly, the costs associatedwith cumbersome installations and modifications are formidable. Securityend-users desiring a system upgrade or modification are generally facedwith the cost of removing an old system so that a change can be made.The replacement cost is further scaled for enterprise type monitoringsystems that could require an update of a large number of monitoringdevices.

Thus, there is a need for a system and method for communicatingconfiguration and installation information to a diversified group ofmonitoring devices through a common access point of an integratedinformation system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and method for configuring an integrated information systemthrough a common user interface are provided. A user accesses agraphical user interface and selects client, premises, location,monitoring device, and processing rule information. The graphical userinterface transmits the user selection to a processing server, whichconfigures one or more monitoring devices according to the userselections.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method forconfiguring monitoring devices through a central interface is provided.The method can be implemented in an integrated information system incommunication with a number of monitoring devices. A central serverobtains a selection of at least one client associated with theintegrated information system, a selection of at least one premisesassociated with the selected client, within the integrated informationsystem, a selection of at least one location wherein the selectedlocation is associated with an identifiable attribute of a premises, aselection of one or more monitoring devices associated with the selectedlocation, and a selection of one or more processing rules associatedwith one or more selected monitoring device. The central serverconfigures the integrated information system according to the selectedclient, premises, location, monitoring device and processing rule data.The client, premises, location, monitoring device and processing ruledata selections are obtained from a common user interface.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method forconfiguring monitoring devices through a central interface is provided.The method may be implemented in an integrated information system incommunication with a number of monitoring devices and including acomputer system having a display and user input device. A computingdevice displays on the computer system display a set of availableintegrated information system clients and obtains a selection from theuser input device of at least one client associated with the integratedinformation system. The computing device then displays on the computersystem display a set of available premises corresponding to the selectedclient and obtains a selection from the user input device of at leastpremises associated with the selected client. The computing device alsodisplays on the computer system display a set of available locationscorresponding to the selected premises, wherein the selected locationdefines an identifiable attribute of the selected premises and obtains aselection from the user input device of at least one locationcorresponding to the selected premises. The computing device furtherdisplays on the computer system display a set of available monitoringdevices corresponding to the selected locations and obtains a selectionfrom the user input device of one or more monitoring devicescorresponding to the selected location. The computing device thendisplays on the computer system display a set of processing rulesassociated with each selected monitoring device and obtains a selectionfrom the user input device of one or more processing rules associatedwith each selected monitoring device, wherein the selected processingrule can include a default processing rule. The computing devicetransmits the selected client, premises, location, monitoring device andprocessing rule data for configuration of the integrated informationsystem. The selection client, premises, location, monitoring device andprocessing rule data is obtained from a common user interface.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, anintegrated information system is provided. The integrated informationsystem includes one or more monitoring devices operable to obtain andtransmit monitoring data corresponding to a specified premises. Theintegrated information system also includes at least one processingserver operable to communicate with the one or more monitoring devices.The processing server is further operable to configure each monitoringdevice. The integrated information system further includes a computerdisplay operable to generate a user interface for obtaining a userselection of client, premises, location, monitoring device, andprocessing rule data and to transmit the data to the processing server.The processing server configures the monitoring devices according to theclient, premises, location, monitoring device and processing rule dataobtained from the user interface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will become more readily appreciated as the same become betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description, whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is block diagram illustrative of representative portion of theInternet;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an integrated information system utilizedto configure or install monitoring devices through a common access pointin accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting an illustrative architecture for apremises server in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting an illustrative architecture for acentral server in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are flow diagrams illustrative of a premisesconfiguration routine implemented by an integrated information system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrative of a create or modify userssub-routine implemented by an integrated information system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrative of a process user data entrysub-routine implemented by an integrated information system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrative of a create or modify clientssub-routine implemented by an integrated information system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrative of a process client data entrysub-routine implemented by an integrated information system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrative of a create or modify premisessub-routine implemented by an integrated information system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are flow diagrams illustrative of a process premisesdata entry sub-routine implemented by an integrated information systemin accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are flow diagrams illustrative of a create or modifylocations sub-routine implemented by an integrated information system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are flow diagrams illustrative of process monitoringdevice and monitoring device rules sub-routine implemented by anintegrated information system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrative of a process auxiliary locationssub-routine implemented by an integrated information system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrative of a process location attributessub-routine implemented by an integrated information system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram illustrative of a process device rulessub-routine implemented by an integrated information system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram representative of a screen displayillustrating an integrated information system location selectioninterface in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram representative of a screen displayillustrating an integrated information system device selection interfacehaving a tree-structure in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 19 is a block diagram representative of a screen displayillustrating an integrated information system monitoring deviceprocessing rules selection interface in accordance with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As described above, aspects of the present invention are embodied in aWorld Wide Web (“WWW” or “Web”) site accessible via the Internet. As iswell known to those skilled in the art, the term “Internet” refers tothe collection of networks and routers that use the Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol (“TCP/IP”) to communicate with one another. Arepresentative section of the Internet 20 is shown in FIG. 1, where aplurality of local area networks (“LANs”) 24 and a wide area network(“WAN”) 26 are interconnected by routers 22. The routers 22 are specialpurpose computers used to interface one LAN or WAN to another.Communication links within the LANs may be twisted wire pair, coaxialcable, or optical fiber, while communication links between networks mayutilize 56 Kbps analog telephone lines, 1 Mbps digital T-1 lines, 45Mbps T-3 lines, or other communications links known to those skilled inthe art.

Furthermore, computers 28 and other related electronic devices can beremotely connected to either the LANs 24 or the WAN 26 via a modem andtemporary telephone or wireless link. It will be appreciated that theInternet 20 comprises a vast number of such interconnected networks,computers, and routers and that only a small, representative section ofthe Internet 20 is shown in FIG. 1.

The Internet has recently seen explosive growth by virtue of its abilityto link computers located throughout the world. As the Internet hasgrown, so has the WWW. As is appreciated by those skilled in the art,the WWW is a vast collection of interconnected or “hypertext” documentswritten in HyperText Markup Language (“HTML”) or other markup languages,which are electronically stored at “WWW sites” or “Web sites” throughoutthe Internet. Other interactive hypertext environments may includeproprietary environments, such as those provided in America Online orother online service providers, as well as the “wireless Web” providedby various wireless networking providers, especially those in thecellular phone industry. It will be appreciated that the presentinvention could apply in any such interactive hypertext environments;however, for purposes of discussion, the Web is used as an exemplaryinteractive hypertext environment with regard to the present invention.

A Web site is a server/computer connected to the Internet that hasmassive storage capabilities for storing hypertext documents and thatruns administrative software for handling requests for those storedhypertext documents. Embedded within a hypertext document are a numberof hyperlinks, i.e., highlighted portions of text that link the documentto another hypertext document possibly stored at a Web site elsewhere onthe Internet. Each hyperlink is assigned a Uniform Resource Locator(“URL”) that provides the exact location of the linked document on aserver connected to the Internet and describes the document. Thus,whenever a hypertext document is retrieved from any Web server, thedocument is considered retrieved from the World Wide Web. Known to thoseskilled in the art, a Web server may also include facilities for storingand transmitting application programs, such as application programswritten in the JAVA® programming language from Sun Microsystems, forexecution on a remote computer. Likewise, a Web server may also includefacilities for executing scripts and other application programs on theWeb server itself.

A consumer or other remote access user may retrieve hypertext documentsfrom the World Wide Web via a Web browser program. A Web browser, suchas Netscape's NAVIGATOR® or Microsoft's Internet Explorer, is a softwareapplication program for providing a graphical user interface to the WWW.Upon request from the consumer via the Web browser, the Web browserlocates and retrieves the desired hypertext document from theappropriate Web server using the URL for the document and the HTTPprotocol. HTTP is a higher-level protocol than TCP/IP and is designedspecifically for the requirements of the WWW. HTTP runs on top of TCP/IPto transfer hypertext documents between server and client computers. TheWWW browser may also retrieve programs from the Web server, such as JAVAapplets, for execution on the client computer.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an integrated information system 200 for usewith the present invention will be described. Generally described, anintegrated information system 200 is a subscriber-based system allowinga number of monitoring devices within one or more premises to bemonitored from a single control location. Additionally, the data fromthe monitoring devices is processed according to one or more rules. Thecontrol location customizes output of the processed data to a number ofauthorized users dependent on the preferences and rights of the user.While the system of the present invention is utilized to integratetraditional security monitoring functions, it is also utilized tointegrate any information input in a like manner.

In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the integratedinformation system 200 includes one or more premises servers 202 locatedon any number of premises 204. The premises server 202 communicates withone or more monitoring devices 206. In an illustrative embodiment, themonitoring devices 206 can include smoke, fire and carbon monoxidedetectors. The monitoring devices 206 can also include door and windowcontacts, glass break detectors, motion sensors, audio detectors and/orinfrared detectors. Still further, the monitoring devices 206 caninclude computer network monitors, voice identification devices, cardreaders, video cameras, still cameras, microphones and/or fingerprint,facial, retinal, or other biometric identification devices. Stillfurther, the monitoring devices 206 can include conventional panicbuttons, global positioning satellite (“GPS”) locators, other geographiclocators, medical indicators, and vehicle information systems. Themonitoring devices 206 can also be integrated with other existinginformation systems, such as inventory control systems, accountingsystems, or the like. The premises server 202 can also maintain a deviceinterface database for translating standard protocol-encoded tasks intodevice specific commands as will be explained in greater detail below.Alternatively, the premises server 202 may be in communication with aseparate device server that maintains the device interface database. Itwill be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art that additional oralternative monitoring devices 206 may be practiced with the presentinvention.

The premises server 202 also communicates with one or more outputdevices 208. In an illustrative embodiment, the output devices 208 caninclude audio speakers, display or other audio/visual displays. Theoutput devices 208 may also include electrical or electro-mechanicaldevices that allow the system to perform actions. The output devices 208can include computer system interfaces, telephone interfaces, wirelessinterfaces, door and window locking mechanisms, aerosol sprayers, andthe like. As will be readily understood by one skilled in the art, thetype of output device 208 is associated primarily with the type ofaction the system produces. Accordingly, additional or alternativeoutput devices 208 are considered to be within the scope of the presentinvention.

The premises server 202 is in communication with a central server 210.Generally described, the central server 210 obtains the variousmonitoring device data, processes the data, and outputs the data to oneor more authorized users. In an illustrative embodiment, thecommunication between the central server 210 and the premises server 202is remote and two-way. One skilled in the relevant art will understandthat the premises server 202 may be remote from the premises or mayomitted altogether. In such an alternative embodiment, the monitoringdevices 206 transmit the monitoring data to a remote premises server 202or alternatively, they transmit the monitoring data directly to thecentral server 210. Alternatively, one skilled in the relevant art willalso appreciate that the premises server 202 may also perform one ormore of the functions illustrated for the central server 210.

Also in communication with the central server 210 is a central database212. In an illustrative embodiment, the central database 212 includes avariety of databases including an event logs database 214, an assetrules database 216, a resource rules database 218, an asset inventorydatabase 220, a resource inventory database 222, an event rules database224, and an active events database 226. The utilization of some of theindividual databases within the central database will be explained ingreater detail below. As will be readily understood by one skilled inthe relevant art, the central database may be one or more databases thatmay be remote from one another. In an alternative embodiment, thecentral server 210 also maintains a device interface database fortranslating standard protocol-encoded tasks into device specificcommands as will be explained in greater detail below. Accordingly, thecentral server 210 may perform some or all of the translation actions inaccordance with the present invention.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the central server 210 communicateswith one or more notification acceptors 228. In an illustrativeembodiment, the notification acceptors 228 can include one or moreauthorized users who are associated with the notification acceptor 228.Each authorized user has a preference of notification means and rightsto the raw and processed monitoring data. The authorized users includepremises owners, security directors or administrators, on-site securityguards, technicians, remote monitors (including certified andnon-certified monitors), customer service representatives, emergencypersonnel, and others. Moreover, the notification acceptor 228 may be acentralized facility/device that can be associated with any number ofauthorized users. As will be readily understood by one skilled in theart, various user authorizations may be practiced with the presentinvention. Additionally, it will be further understood that one or moreof the rules databases may be maintained outside of the central server210.

In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the centralserver 210 communicates with the notification acceptors 228 utilizingvarious communication devices and communication mediums. The devicesinclude personal computers, hand-held computing devices, wirelessapplication protocol enabled wireless devices, cellular or digitaltelephones, digital pagers, and the like. Moreover, the central server210 may communicate with these devices via the Internet utilizingelectronic messaging or Web access, via wireless transmissions utilizingthe wireless application protocol, short message services, audiotransmissions, and the like. As will be readily understood by oneskilled in the art, the specific implementation of the communicationmediums may require additional or alternative components to bepracticed. All are considered to be within the scope of practicing thepresent invention.

In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the centralserver 210 may utilize one or more additional server-type computingdevices to process incoming data and outgoing data, referred togenerally as a staging server. The staging server may be a separatecomputing device that can be proximate to or remote from the centralserver 210, or alternatively, it may be a software component utilized inconjunction with a general-purpose server computing device. One skilledin the relevant art will appreciate communications between the centralserver 210 and the staging server can incorporate various securityprotocols known to those skilled in the relevant art.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting an illustrative architecture for apremises server 202 formed in accordance with the present invention.Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the premisesserver 202 includes many more components then those shown in FIG. 3.However, it is not necessary that all of these generally conventionalcomponents be shown in order to disclose an illustrative embodiment forpracticing the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the premisesserver 202 includes a network interface 300 for connecting directly to aLAN or a WAN, or for connecting remotely to a LAN or WAN. Those ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the network interface 300includes the necessary circuitry for such a connection, and is alsoconstructed for use with the TCP/IP protocol or other protocols, such asInternet Inter-ORB Protocol (“IIOP”). The premises server 202 may alsobe equipped with a modem for connecting to the Internet through apoint-to-point protocol (“PPP”) connection or a serial-line Internetprotocol (“SLIP”) connection as known to those skilled in the art.

The premises server 202 also includes a processing unit 302, a display304, a device interface 306 and a mass memory 308, all connected via acommunication bus, or other communication device. The device interface306 includes hardware and software components that facilitateinteraction with a variety of the monitoring devices 206 via a varietyof communication protocols including TCP/IP, X10, digital I/O, RS-232,RS-485 and the like. Additionally, the device interface facilitatescommunication via a variety of communication mediums including telephonelandlines, wireless networks (including cellular, digital and radionetworks), cable networks, and the like. In an actual embodiment of thepresent invention, the I/O interface is implemented as a layer betweenthe server hardware and software applications utilized to control theindividual digital image devices. One skilled in the relevant art willunderstand that alternative interface configurations may be practicedwith the present invention.

The mass memory 308 generally comprises a RAM, ROM, and a permanent massstorage device, such as a hard disk drive, tape drive, optical drive,floppy disk drive, or combination thereof. The mass memory 308 stores anoperating system 310 for controlling the operation of the premisesserver 202. It will appreciated that this component may comprise ageneral-purpose server operating system as is known to those skilled inthe art, such as UNIX, LINU™, or Microsoft WINDOWS NT®. The memory alsoincludes a WWW browser 312, such as Netscape's NAVIGATOR® or Microsoft'sInternet Explorer, for accessing the WWW.

The mass memory also stores program code and data for interfacing withvarious premises monitoring devices 206, for processing the monitoringdevice data and for transmitting the data to a central server. Morespecifically, the mass memory stores a device interface application 314in accordance with the present invention for obtaining standardprotocol-encoded commands and for translating the commands into devicespecific protocols. Additionally, the device interface application 314obtains monitoring device data from the connected monitoring devices 206and manipulates the data for processing by a central server 210, and forcontrolling the features of the individual monitoring devices 206. Thedevice interface application 314 comprises computer-executableinstructions which, when executed by the premises server, obtains andtransmits device data as will be explained below in greater detail. Themass memory also stores a data transmittal application program 316 fortransmitting the device data to the central server and to facilitatecommunication between the central server and the monitoring devices 206.The operation of the data transmittal application 316 will be describedin greater detail below. It will be appreciated that these componentsmay be stored on a computer-readable medium and loaded into the memoryof the premises server 202 using a drive mechanism associated with thecomputer-readable medium, such as a floppy, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM drive, ornetwork interface 300.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting an illustrative architecture for acentral server 210. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciatethat the central server 210 includes many more components then thoseshown in FIG. 4. However, it is not necessary that all of thesegenerally conventional components be shown in order to disclose anillustrative embodiment for practicing the present invention. As shownin FIG. 4, the central server 210 includes a network interface 400 forconnecting directly to a LAN or a WAN, or for connecting remotely to aLAN or WAN. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that thenetwork interface 400 includes the necessary circuitry for such aconnection, and is also constructed for use with the TCP/IP protocol orother protocols, such as Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (“IIOP”). Thecentral server 210 may also be equipped with a modem for connecting tothe Internet through a PPP connection or a SLIP connection as known tothose skilled in the art.

The central server 210 also includes a processing unit 402, a display404, and a mass memory 406, all connected via a communication bus, orother communication device. The mass memory 406 generally comprises aRAM, ROM, and a permanent mass storage device, such as a hard diskdrive, tape drive, optical drive, floppy disk drive, or combinationthereof. The mass memory 406 stores an operating system for controllingthe operation of the central server 210. It will be appreciated thatthis component may comprise a general-purpose server operating system asis known to those skilled in the art, such as UNIX, LINU™, or MicrosoftWINDOWS NT®. In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, thecentral server 210 may also be controlled by a user through use of acomputing device, which may be directly connected to or remote from thecentral server 210.

The mass memory 406 also stores program code and data for interfacingwith the premises devices, for processing the device data, and forinterfacing with various authorized users. More specifically, the massmemory 406 stores a premises interface application 410 in accordancewith the present invention for obtaining data from a variety ofmonitoring devices 206 and for communicating with the premises server202. The premises interface application 410 comprisescomputer-executable instructions that when executed by the centralserver 210, interface with the premises server 202 as will be explainedbelow in greater detail. The mass memory 406 also stores a dataprocessing application 412 for processing monitoring device data inaccordance with rules maintained within the central server 210. Theoperation of the data processing application 412 will be described ingreater detail below. The mass memory 406 further stores an authorizeduser interface application 414 for outputting the processed monitoringdevice data to a variety of authorized users in accordance with thesecurity process of the present invention. The operation of theauthorized user interface application 414 will be described in greaterdetail below. It will be appreciated that these components may be storedon a computer-readable medium and loaded into the memory of the centralserver 210 using a drive mechanism associated with the computer-readablemedium, such as a floppy, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM drive, or network interface400.

Generally described, the present invention provides an integratedcomputerized system and method utilizing a software interface to installone or more networked hardware monitoring and output devices into anintegrated information system. Specifically, aspects of the presentinvention will be described in relation to a system and method formanaging monitoring devices 206 within a common network architecture. Inan actual embodiment of the present invention, an application programinterface (“API”) screen display may be generated by a computing deviceand utilized to collect the data from a user to configure a premises formonitoring. In accordance with this embodiment, a user accesses aninstallation or account setup page using a Web browser on a browsercomputer. The Web page may be standard screen display generated by abrowser application executing a markup language, such as hypertextmarkup language (“HTML”), extensible markup language (“XML”), or otherlanguages conforming to the standard general markup language (“SGML”)information management standard. In an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention, the browser computer may connect to the integratedinformation system 200 through the central server 210. Alternatively,the browser computer may connect directly to the integrated informationsystem 200. By entering, reviewing and or modifying data on the screeninterface, the user can perform a variety of installation, configurationand modification functions relating to the integrated informationsystem.

Prior to discussing the implementation of the present invention, ageneral overview of an integrated information system 200 in which thepresent invention can be implemented will be described. In an actualembodiment of the present invention, the monitoring device data iscategorized as asset data, resource data or device data. Asset data isobtained from a monitoring device 206 corresponding to an identifiableobject that is not capable of independent action. For example, assetdata includes data obtained from a bar code or transponder identifying aparticular object, such as a computer, in a particular location.Resource data is obtained from a monitoring device corresponding to anidentifiable object that is capable of independent action. For example,resource data includes data from a magnetic card reader that identifiesa particular person who has entered the premises. Event data is obtainedfrom a monitoring device corresponding to an on/off state that is notcorrelated to an identifiable object. Event data is a default categoryfor all of the monitoring devices. As will be readily understood by oneskilled in the relevant art, alternative data categorizations areconsidered to be within the scope of the present invention.

The monitoring device data is obtained by the monitoring devices 206 onthe premises server 202 and transmitted to the central server 210. Thecentral server 210 receives the monitoring device data and processes thedata according to a rules-based decision support logic. In an actualembodiment of the present invention, the central server 210 utilizes thedatabases 212 to store logic rules for asset data, resource data andevent data. Moreover, because the monitoring device data is potentiallyapplicable to more than one authorized user, multiple rules may beapplied to the same monitoring device data. In an alternativeembodiment, the databases 212 may be maintained in locations remote fromthe central server 210.

In the event the processing of the monitoring device rules indicatesthat action is required, the central server 210 generates one or moreoutputs associated with the rules. The outputs include communicationwith indicated notification acceptors 228 according to the monitoringdevice data rules. For example, an authorized user may indicate ahierarchy of communication mediums (such as pager, mobile telephone,land-line telephone) that should be utilized in attempting to contactthe user. The rules may also indicate contingency contacts in the eventthe authorized user cannot be contacted. Additionally, the rules maylimit the type and/or amount of data the user is allowed to access.Furthermore, the outputs can include the initiation of actions by thecentral server 210 in response to the processing of the rules. A moredetailed description of an implementation of an integrated informationsystem may be found in commonly owned U.S. application Ser. No.09/825,506 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING CONFIGURABLESECURITY MONITORING UTILIZING AN INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEM, filedApr. 3, 2001, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Turning now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a routine 500 for processing a premisesconfiguration in an integrated information system 200 will be described.More specifically, in accordance with the present invention, the routine500 relates to a process for obtaining user, client, premises, location,monitoring device, and processing rule data from a user by utilizing acommon user interface.

With reference to FIG. 5A, at decision block 502, a test is conducted todetermine whether the user wishes to create or modify a number of usersto the integrated information system 200. In accordance with the presentinvention, a user may be selected to have access to the configurationssystem of the integrated information system 200. Alternatively, a usermay be selected to have access as a notified user of the integratedinformation system. In an illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention, block 502 may be executed in the user selects to modify orcreate a user, such as by manipulating a user input device.Alternatively, the user interface application 414 of the central server210 may prompt a user to determine whether the action is desired. If theuser does not select a create or modify an integrated information systemuser option, the routine 500 proceeds to decision block 506, which willbe described in greater detail below. Alternatively, if the user wishesto create or modify a user, the routine processes the create or modifyuser request at block 504.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are flow diagrams illustrative of a create or modify usersub-routine implemented by the central server 210 in accordance with thepresent invention. With reference to FIG. 6, at block 602, the centralserver 210 obtains a list of available integrated information systemusers. At decision block 604, a test is conducted to determine whether aparticular user is on the list. In an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention, the user interface application 414 of the centralserver 210 may display a list of available system users and allow theuser to select from the list. If a desired user is on the list, thecentral server 210 retrieves user data. In an illustrative embodiment,the central server 210 may recall the user data from the database 212.If the user is not on the displayed list, or once the selected user datahas been retrieved, at block 608, the central server 210 processes theinput of user data. Once the central server 210 has processed the userdata entry at block 608, at block 610, the central server stores theupdated user data, and the sub-routine 600 returns to routine 500 atblock 612.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrative of a process user data entrysub-routine 700 implemented by the central server 210 in accordance withthe present invention. At block 702, the central server 210 attempts toobtain the stored user data from the database 212. At decision block704, a test is conducted to determine whether the stored user data isavailable. If the data is available, the central server retrieves theuser data values. Alternatively, if the data is not available, or oncethe central server 210 has retrieved the stored user data values, atblock 708 the central server 210 obtains additional user values from theuser. In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the userinterface application 414 of the central server 210 obtains additionaluser values by accepting inputs. For example, the user interfaceapplication 414 may import data files, obtain keyboard or computer mouseentries, obtain voice inputs, and the like. In one aspect, the user dataentry can include data modifying an existing user data record. Inanother aspect, the user data entry can include data defining new userdata records.

At decision block 710, a test is conducted to determine whether moredata entries are desired. For example, the central server 210 mayprocess data entries for a number of integrated information users. Ifmore data entries are requested, the routine 700 returns to block 702.Alternatively, if no more data entries are requested, the sub-routine700 returns to sub-routine 600 at block 712.

Returning to FIG. 5A, at decision block 506, a test is done to determinewhether the user wishes to create or modify integrated informationsystem 200 clients. Similar to decision block 502, decision block 506may be executed by obtaining the initiation of a user action or byprompting a user. If the user does not wish to create or modify clients,the routine 500 proceeds to decision block 510, which will be describedin detail below. Alternatively, if the user wishes to create or modifyclients, the central server 210 processes the create or modify clientrequest at block 508.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are flow diagrams illustrative of various process createor modify client data sub-routines implemented by the central server 210in accordance with the present invention. With reference to FIG. 8, atblock 802, the central server 210 obtains a list of available systemclients. At block 804, a test is conducted to determine whether adesired client is on the list of available system clients. In anillustrative embodiment of the present invention, the user interfaceapplication 414 of the central server 210 may display a list ofavailable system users and allow the user to select from the list. Ifthe client is on the list, at block 806 the central server 210 retrievesthe existing client data values. If the client not on the list, or oncethe existing client values have been retrieved, at block 808, thecentral server 210 process the client data entry. Once the centralserver 210 has processed the client data entry at block 808, the centralserver stores the updated user data at block 810. At block 812, thesub-routine 800 returns to routine 500.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a process client data entry sub-routine 900implemented by the central server 210 in accordance with the presentinvention. At block 902, the central server 210 attempts to obtain thestored client data. At decision block 904, a test is conducted todetermine whether the client data is available. If the data isavailable, the central server 210 retrieves the client data values atblock 906. If the client data is not previously stored, or once theclient has been retrieved, at block 908, the user interface 414application of the central server 210 obtains client data values inputsfrom the user. For example, the user interface application 414 mayimport data files, obtain keyboard or computer mouse entries, obtainvoice inputs, and the like. In one aspect, the user data entry caninclude data modifying an existing user data record. In another aspect,the user data entry can include data defining new user data records.

Once the client data values have been obtained by the user interfaceapplication 414, at decision block 910, a test is conducted to determinewhether more client data entries are desired. If more data entries areavailable, the sub-routine 900 returns to block 902. Alternatively, ifno more data entries are available, the routine 900 returns tosub-routine 800 at block 912.

Returning to FIG. 5A, at decision block 510, a test is conducted todetermine whether the user wishes to create or modify one or morepremises associated with the selected integrated information systemclient. In accordance with the present invention, the integratedinformation system 200 provides monitoring services for a client thatmay be associated with one or more premises to be monitored, such asmultiple building within one or more geographic locations. Similar tothe other decision blocks of FIG. 5A, in an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention, decision block 510 may be executed in the userselects to modify or create a user, such as by manipulating a user inputdevice. Alternatively, the user interface application 414 of the centralserver 210 may prompt a user to determine whether the action is desired.If the user does not wish to create or modify a premises on theintegrated information system 200, the routine 500 proceeds to decisionblock 514, which will be explained in greater detail below.Alternatively, if the user wishes to create or modify locations, thecentral server 210 processes the create or modify locations request atblock 508.

FIGS. 10, 11A and 11B are flow diagrams illustrative of various processcreate or modify premises sub-routines implemented by the central server210 of an integrated information system 200 in accordance with thepresent invention. With reference to FIG. 10, at block 1002, the centralserver 210 obtains a list of available premises for current systemclients. At decision block 1004 a test is conducted determine whether adesired premises is on the list. If the premises is on the list, thecentral server 210 retrieves existing premises values at block 1006. Forexample, the central server 210 may obtain the data values from thedatabases 212. If the desired premises is not on the list, or once thecentral server 210 has obtained the premises data, at block 1008, thecentral server 210 processes the user entry of the premises data. In anillustrative embodiment of the present invention, the user interfaceapplication 414 utilizes block 1008 to obtain client contact data, suchas client address and communication information. Additionally, the userinterface application 414 obtains premises user data related to theselected premises. Once the central server 210 obtains the premises dataentry, at block 1010, the central server stores the updated premisesdata and the sub-routine 1000 returns to sub-routine 500 at block 1012.

Turning now to FIGS. 11A and 11B, a process premises user data entrysub-routine will be described. In an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention, the premises data can include user premisesassignment data, user group assignment data, and user process assignmentdata. With reference to FIGURE 11A, at block 1102, the central server210 obtains user premises assignment data. At decision block 1104, atest is conducted to determine whether user process assignment data isavailable. If the user premises assignment data is available, at block1106, the central server 210 retrieves the user premises data values. Ifthe data is not available, or once the user premises data values havebeen retrieved at block 1108 the central server 210 obtains userpremises assignment data values from the user input. For example, theuser interface application 414 may import data files, obtain keyboard orcomputer mouse entries, obtain voice inputs, and the like. In oneaspect, the user data entry can include data modifying an existing userdata record. In another aspect, the user data entry can include datadefining new user data records.

At block 1110, the central server obtains a list of the user groupassignment data. At decision block 1112, a test is conducted todetermine whether the user group data is available. If the data isavailable, the central server 210 retrieves the user premises datavalues at block 1114. With reference to FIG. 11B, if the groupassignment data is not available, or once the central server 210 hasretrieved the user group assignment data, at block 1116, the userinterface application 414 of the central server obtains the user entryof the group assignment data. As described above, the user interfaceapplication 414 can obtain the group assignment data entry in a varietyof manners.

At block 1118, the central server 210 obtains user process assignmentdata. At decision block 1120, a test is conducted to determine whetherthe user process assignment data is available. If the user processassignment data is available, the central server 210 retrieves the userprocess data values at block 1122. For example, the central server 210may retrieve the data from the databases 212. If the data is notavailable, or once the central server 210 has retrieved the user processdata values, at block 1124, the central server 210 obtains the userprocess data values. At decision block 1126, a test is conducted todetermine whether there are more user premises assignments. If there aremore user premises assignments, the routine 1100 returns to block 1108.Alternatively, if there are no more assignments, the sub-routine 1100returns to sub-routine 1000 at block 1128.

Returning to FIG. 5A, at decision block 514, a test is conducted todetermine whether the user wishes to create or modify one or morelocations corresponding to the selected client and premises. If the userdoes not wish to create or modify one or more locations, the routine 500proceeds to decision block 518 (FIG. 5B), which will be explained ingreater detail below. Alternatively, if the user wishes to create ormodify locations, the central server 210 processes the create or modifylocation request at block 516.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are flow diagrams illustrative of a create or modifylocation sub-routine 1200 implemented by the central server 210 inaccordance with the present invention. In an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention, the location data can include premises locationdata and location group data. With reference to FIG. 12A, at block 1202,the central server 210 obtains premises location data. At decision block1204, a test is conducted to determine whether the desired premiseslocation data is available. If the premises location data is available,at block 1206, the central server 210 retrieves existing locationvalues. In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the userinterface application 414 of the central server 210 may generate a listof available locations for the selected premises. If the premiseslocation data is not available, or once the premises location data hasbeen retrieved, at block 1208, the central server obtains location datavalues.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram representative of a screen display 1700illustrating a integrated information system location selectioninterface generated by the central server 210 in accordance with thepresent invention. As illustrated in FIG. 17, the screen displayincludes a user selection portion 1702 for selecting the modification orcreation of location data. The screen display also includes anidentification portion 1704 for informing a user of which data iscurrently being modified or created. Additionally, the screen displayfurther includes data entries portions 1706 and 1708 for displaying tothe user the available location data and for facilitating the entry ofadditional data. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate thatalternative screen displays may be utilized in accordance with thepresent invention.

Returning to FIG. 12A, at block 1210, the central server 210 obtainslocation group data. At decision block 1212, a test is conducted todetermine whether the group location data is available. If the grouplocation data is available, at block 1214, the central server 210routine retrieves location group data values. With reference to FIG.12B, if the location group data values are not available, or once thecentral server 210 has retrieved the location group data, at block 1216,the central server 210 obtains location group assignment data. Atdecision block 1218, a test is conducted to determine whether there aremore location groups. If there are more location groups, the centralserver retrieves additional location group data values at block 1214(FIG. 12A). Alternatively, if there are no more location groups, atdecision block 1220, a test is conducted to determine whether there aremore locations to be modified. If there are more locations, thesub-routine 1200 returns to block 1208. Alternatively, if there are nomore locations, the sub-routine 1200 returns at block 1222. One skilledin the relevant art will appreciate that the central server 210 mayimplement the various decision blocks of sub-routine 1200 in a singleaction or series of actions.

Turning now to FIG. 5B, at decision block 518 a test is conducted todetermine whether the user wishes to create or modify devices and rules.If the user does not wish to create or modify devices and rules, theprocess 500 proceeds to block 522, which will be described in greaterdetail below. Alternatively, if the user wishes to create or modifydevices and rules, the central server 210 processes the create or modifydevices and rules sub-routine at block 520.

FIGS. 13A, 13B, 14, 15, 16 and 17 are flow diagrams illustrative ofvarious sub-routines implemented by the central server 210 to create ormodify devices and rules in accordance with the present invention. Withreference to FIGS. 13A and 13B, a create or modify devices and rulessub-routine 1300 will be described. At block 1302, the central server210 lists all installed monitoring devices 206 and/or output devices 208that are found within a previously selected premises. In accordance withthe present invention, the user interface application 414 can generate ascreen display to facilitate the selection of installed devices withinthe premises. More specifically, in an actual embodiment of the presentinvention, the user interface application 414 may utilizetree-structures and data tables to facilitate the selection of devicesand the management of device attributes.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram representative of a screen display 1800illustrating a integrated information system device selection interfacehaving a tree-structure in accordance with the present invention. Thescreen display 1900 includes a user selection portion 1802 for selectingthe modification or creation of location data. As illustrated in FIG.18, the user can select to manipulate various devices by selecting thecorresponding tab of the user selection portion 1802. The screen displayfurther includes a tree-structure portion 1804 for hierarchicallydisplaying which monitoring device has been installed into the premises.In an actual embodiment of the presentation, the data processingapplication 412 of the central server 210 may configure thetree-structure portion 1904 based on the authorization of the user, amost recently utilized list, or a combination thereof. Moreover, thedata processing application 412 may utilize additional informationinputted by the user, such as specific device, to determine devicecompatibility and adjust the tree-structure accordingly. One skilled inthe relevant art will appreciate that a user can select a specificdevice, through the manipulation of the elements of a graphical userinterface, or of peripheral devices linked to a graphical userinterface, such as a mouse or touch pad.

Returning to FIG. 13A, at decision block 1304, a test is conducted todetermine whether a desired device is listed. If the desired device isnot listed, the routine 1300 proceeds to block 1322 (FIG. 13B), whichwill be explained in detail below. If the desired device is listed andselected, at decision block 1306, a test is conducted to determinewhether the selected device has any auxiliary locations. In accordancewith the present invention, an auxiliary location includes one or moreareas or zones within a premises with which a monitoring device 206 isassociated. For example, a pan-tilt-zoom (“PTZ”) camera may monitor adoor as a primary location and a portion of a hallway as an auxiliarylocation. If the device has auxiliary locations, the central server 210processes the auxiliary location selection at block 1308.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating a process auxiliary devicelocations sub-routine 1400 implemented by the central server 210 inaccordance with the present invention. At block 1402, the central server210 obtains a list of all known auxiliary locations corresponding to theselected monitoring device. At decision block 1404, a test is conductedto determine whether a desired auxiliary location is found in the list.If the desired auxiliary location is not found, at block 1406, the userinterface application 414 obtains a user selection of an auxiliarylocation desired. For example, the user may define an auxiliary locationby naming the location and defining some parameters of the location. Atblock 1408, the data processing application 412 of the central server210 stores the selected auxiliary location. At decision block 1410, atest is conducted to determine whether the user wishes to selectadditional auxiliary locations. If the user wishes to select additionalauxiliary locations, the sub-routine 1400 returns to block 1402.Alternatively, the subroutine returns to sub-routine 1300 at block 1412.

Returning to FIG. 13A, once the auxiliary locations have been processed,or if no auxiliary locations are selected/exist, at block 1310, thecentral server 210 obtains the device location and communicationattributes. In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, thedevice location and communication attributes can include an Internetprotocol (“IP”) address, a unique name, computing device port settings,zone settings for monitoring, and the like. At decision block 1312, atest is conducted to determine whether a selected device includes deviceattributes. If the selected device does not include attributes, thesub-routine proceeds to decision block 1316, which will be explained ingreater detail below. Alternatively, if the selected device includesdevice attributes, the central server 210 processes the deviceattributes at block 1314.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrative of a process device locationattributes sub-routine 1500 implemented by the central server 210 inaccordance with the present invention. At block 1502, the central serverobtains the device location attribute data. At decision block 1504, atest is conducted to determine whether the device location attributedata exists. If the device location attribute data exists, at block1506, the central server 210 obtains and displays the listed devicelocation attributes. At block 1508, the user interface application 414of the central server 210 obtains any user edits to the device locationattribute data. Referring again to FIG. 18, the screen display 1800further includes a data table portion 1806 for displaying to the uservarious device location attributes of a device selected in thetree-structure portion 1804. The data table portion 1806 allows the userto review the various device attributes and modify them by manipulatinga user interface.

Referring again to FIG. 15, if at decision block 1504 the devicelocation attribute data does not exist, at block 1510, the dataprocessing application 412 retrieves any default device attributes foruse with the device. For example, the device manufacturer may includesome default settings for a device, or an integrated information system200 administrator may designate default values. At decision block 1512,a test is conducted to determine whether the user wishes to edit thedefault device location attributes. If the user selects to edit thedefault attributes, the sub-routine 1500 proceeds to block 1508 asdescribed above.

Once the user has completed editing the device location attributes, orif the user does not wish to edit the default attributes at decisionblock 1512, at decision block 1514, a test is conducted to determinewhether there are additional device location attributes that are to beedited. If there are additional device location attributes, thesub-routine 1500 returns to block 1502. Alternatively, the sub-routine1500 returns to sub-routine 1300 at block 1516.

Returning to FIG. 13A, at decision block 1316, a test is conducted todetermine whether the user wishes to create a device rule for theselected device. If the user wishes to create or modify a device rule,the central server 210 processes the device rule at block 1318. If theuser does not wish create or modify a device rule or once the devicerule has been processed, the sub-routine 1300 returns to routine 500 atblock 1320.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of a process device rules sub-routine 1600implemented by the central server 210 in accordance with the presentinvention. At block 1602, the central server 210 obtains a list ofinstalled device rules. At decision block 1604, a test is conducted todetermine whether a desired device rule is listed. If no device rule islisted, at block 1606, the central server 210 obtains default rule datafor the device. In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention,the default data may be set by the user or by an integrated informationsystem administrator. Alternatively, if the desired device rule isfound, at block 1608, the central server 210 obtains the existing devicerule data.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram representative of a screen display 1900illustrating a integrated information system monitoring deviceprocessing rules selection interface generated by the user interfaceapplication 414 of the central server 210 in accordance with the presentinvention. The screen display 1900 includes a user selection portion1902 for selecting the modification or creation of location data and adisplay portion 1904 for informing the user what data is being edited.As illustrated in FIG. 19, the user can select to manipulate variousdevices by selecting the corresponding tab of the user selection portion1902. The screen display 1900 further includes a rules display portion1906 for displaying and editing rule details, as will be explained inbetter detail below.

Returning to FIG. 16, at block 1610, the user interface application 414obtains device rule data from the user. In an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention, the user interface application 414 can obtaindevice rule data relating to a rule name, rule purpose, effective dateranges, severity of a violation, and corresponding device/locationinformation. At block 1612, the user interface application 414 obtainsnotification information from the user. In an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention, the notification information can include aselection of a set of user, notification routing information, and timinginformation. At decision block 1614 a test is conducted to determinewhether there are more users to add to the notification. If so, thesub-routine 1600 returns to block 1612. If no additional users are to beadded, the sub-routine 1600 returns at block 1616.

Turning now to FIG. 13B, if at decision block 1304, the desired deviceis not listed, at block 1322, the central server 210 obtains a list ofall available devices to be installed. In an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention, the central server 210 databases 212 may maintaina list and attributes of a number of devices that may be installed inthe integrated information system 200. With reference to FIG. 18, theuser interface application 414 may generate a tree-structure screeninterface to facilitate a user selection. At decision block 1324, a testis conducted to determine whether the desired device is found in thelist of available devices. If the device is not available, thesub-routine 1300 returns to block 1322 to obtain an indication ofanother device. Alternatively, the user may provide configurationinformation for a specific device, such as by downloading informationvia the user interface application 414.

Once the device has been selected, at block 1326 the central serverobtains a primary location for the device. At decision block 1328, atest is conducted to determine whether the specified location isrecognized by the integrated information system. If the location is notrecognized, at block 1330, the user inputs the desired location to berecognized. If the location is recognized or once the location has beenentered, the sub-routine returns to decision block 1306 (FIG. 13A),which was previously explained.

Returning to FIG. 5B, at block 522, the central server 210 configuresthe integrated information system 200 in accordance with the userinputs. In an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, thepremises interface application 412 of the central server 210 maytransmit the necessary configuration data for each monitoring device206. Additionally, the data processing application 412 may provide anynecessary translation processes that allow the central server 210 tocommunication with the one or more premises servers 204. In analternative embodiment, the central server 210 may implement theconfiguration changes as they are received from the user, and block 522may be omitted. Additionally, the central server 210 may generate aconfirmation report at block 522. At block 524, the routine 500terminates.

While illustrative embodiments of the invention have been illustratedand described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. In an integrated information system in communication with a number ofmonitoring devices, a method for configuring the monitoring devicesthrough a central interface, the method comprising: obtaining aselection of at least one client associated with the integratedinformation system; obtaining a selection of at least one premisesassociated with the selected client, within the integrated informationsystem; obtaining a selection of at least one location wherein theselected location is associated with an identifiable attribute of apremises; obtaining a selection of one or more monitoring devicesassociated with the selected location; obtaining a selection of one ormore processing rules associated with one or more selected monitoringdevice; and configuring the integrated information system according tothe selected client, premises, location, monitoring device andprocessing rule data; wherein the client, premises, location, monitoringdevice and processing rule data selections are obtained from a commonuser interface.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein obtaining aselection of the client, premises, location, monitoring device, orprocessing rule data includes obtaining data modifying a previousselection.
 3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selection ofmonitoring devices includes the selection of monitoring device settinginformation related to the operation of a selected monitoring device. 4.The method as recited in claim 3 further comprising displaying a currentmonitoring device setting information prior to obtaining a selection ofmonitoring device setting information.
 5. The method as recited in claim1 further comprising obtaining a selection of at least one userassociated with the integrated information system.
 6. The method asrecited in claim 5, wherein the user is authorized to provideconfiguration information to the integrated information system.
 7. Themethod as recited in claim 5, wherein the user is associated with theselected client or premises and is authorized to accept a notificationof a processing rule violation.
 8. The method as recited in claim 6,where the selection of users authorized to obtain information regardingthe selected premises is dynamically generated in response to theprocessing of a rule in accordance with the integrated informationsystem.
 9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected clientis associated with multiple premises, and wherein the selection of atleast one premises associated with the selected client includes aselection of all the premises associated with the selected client. 10.The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selection of at least onepremises includes obtaining a selection of users authorized to obtaininformation regarding the selected premises.
 11. The method as recitedin claim 1, wherein the selected location corresponds to a zone or areawithin a premises.
 12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein theselected location corresponds to multiple monitoring devices, andwherein the selection of at least one monitoring device includes aselection of all monitoring devices associated with the selectedlocation.
 13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selection ofa monitoring device includes a selection of at least one primary orauxiliary location associated with the monitoring device.
 14. The methodas recited in claim 13, wherein the selection of the primary orauxiliary locations are based on default settings for the monitoringdevice.
 15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selection of amonitoring device includes the selection of one or more monitoringdevice attributes, wherein the monitoring device attributes can includedefault values.
 16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein theselection of one or more processing rules includes the selection of athreshold indicating a violation of the selected processing rule. 17.The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selection of one or moreprocessing rules includes the specification of a comparison of collecteddata to information stored in a database.
 18. The method as recited inclaim 1, wherein the selection of one or more processing rules includesthe specification of Boolean operators for creating associations betweenrules for one or more monitoring devices.
 19. The method as recited inclaim 1, wherein the selection of one or more processing rules includesthe specification of two or more processing rules that are considered asa single processing event.
 20. The method as recited in claim 1, whereinthe selection of one or more processing rules includes a selection ofone or more notification acceptors corresponding to the evaluation ofthe selection processing rule.
 21. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein configuring the integrated information system includes insertingdefault values for the client, premises, location, monitoring device andprocessing rule data.
 22. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein thecommon user interface is a graphical user interface displayed on acomputing device.
 23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein thecommon user interface is a graphical user interface accessible throughthe World Wide Web.
 24. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein thecommon user interface includes hyperlinks for any of the client,premises, location, monitoring device, or processing rule dataselections.
 25. A computer-readable medium having computer-executableinstructions for performing the method recited in any one of claims1-24.
 26. A computer system having a processor, a memory and anoperating environment, the computer system operable to perform themethod recited in any one of claims 1-24.
 27. In an integratedinformation system in communication with a number of monitoring devicesand including a computer system having a display and user input device,a method for configuring the monitoring devices through a centralinterface, the method comprising: displaying on the computer systemdisplay a set of available integrated information system clients;obtaining a selection from the user input device of at least one clientassociated with the integrated information system; displaying on thecomputer system display a set of available premises corresponding to theselected client; obtaining a selection from the user input device of atleast premises associated with the selected client; displaying on thecomputer system display a set of available locations corresponding tothe selected premises, wherein the selected location defines anidentifiable attribute of the selected premises; obtaining a selectionfrom the user input device of at least one location corresponding to theselected premises; displaying on the computer system display a set ofavailable monitoring devices corresponding to the selected locations;obtaining a selection from the user input device of one or moremonitoring devices corresponding to the selected location; displaying onthe computer system display a set of processing rules associated witheach selected monitoring device; obtaining a selection from the userinput device of one or more processing rules associated with eachselected monitoring device, wherein the selected processing rule caninclude a default processing rule; and transmitting the selected client,premises, location, monitoring device and processing rule data forconfiguration of the integrated information system; wherein theselection client, premises, location, monitoring device and processingrule data is obtained from a common user interface.
 28. The method asrecited in claim 27 further comprising obtaining a selection of at leastone user associated with the integrated information system.
 29. Themethod as recited in claim 28, wherein the user is authorized to provideconfiguration information to the integrated information system.
 30. Themethod as recited in claim 28, wherein the user is associated with theselected client and is authorized to accept a notification of aprocessing rule violation.
 31. The method as recited in claim 27,wherein the selected client is associated with multiple premises, andwherein the selection of at least one premises associated with theselected client includes a selection of all the premises associated withthe selected client.
 32. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein theselection of at least one premises includes obtaining a selection ofusers authorized to obtain information regarding the selected premises.33. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the selected locationcorresponds to a geographic location.
 34. The method as recited in claim27, wherein the selected location corresponds to multiple monitoringdevices, and wherein the selection of at least one monitoring deviceincludes a selection of all monitoring devices associated with theselected location.
 35. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein theselection of a monitoring device includes a selection of a primary andauxiliary location associated with the monitoring device.
 36. The methodas recited in claim 27, wherein the selection of a monitoring deviceincludes the selection of one or more monitoring device attributes,wherein the monitoring device attributes can include default values. 37.The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the selection of one or moreprocessing rules includes the selection of a threshold indicating aviolation of the selected processing rule.
 38. The method as recited inclaim 37, wherein the selection of one or more processing rules includesa selection of one or more notification acceptors.
 39. The method asrecited in claim 27, wherein configuring the integrated informationsystem includes inserting default values for the client, premises,location, monitoring device and processing rule data.
 40. The method asrecited in claim 27, wherein the common user interface is a graphicaluser interface displayed on a computing device.
 41. The method asrecited in claim 27, wherein each computer system display is a graphicalwindow.
 42. The method as recited in claim 41, wherein the graphicalwindow is a graphical user interface accessible through the World WideWeb.
 43. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the user inputdevice is a computer system mouse.
 44. The method as recited in claim27, wherein each computer system display is included in a single screendisplay having multiple attributes.
 45. The method as recited in claim27, wherein displaying on the computer system display a set of availablemonitoring devices corresponding to the selected locations includesdisplaying a tree-structure of available monitoring devices.
 46. Themethod as recited in claim 45, wherein the tree-structure is formed inaccordance with the previous usage of a particular user.
 47. The methodas recited in claim 45, wherein the tree-structure is formed inaccordance with the authorization rights of a particular user.
 48. Themethod as recited in claim 45, wherein the tree-structure is formedaccording to a hierarchical or functional relationship between two ormore devices.
 49. A computer-readable medium having computer-executableinstructions for performing the method recited in any one of claims27-48.
 50. A computer system having a processor, a memory and anoperating environment, the computer system operable to perform themethod recited in any one of claims 27-48.